A Bit Of This 'N That.

On the secret freckle...
After doing a little research I don't think I will ever lose my eye.  But if I do, it will be okay.  I will forgo the eye patch and get a super awesome glass eye.  Then I can take it out and freak people out.  And I will save 50% on contacts.  I do believe in being prepared, so I close my right eye while driving.  Hah!!

On the science fair...
Because Isaac got 3rd place at the district science fair, he was invited to the regional science fair.  It's going on right this moment.  We won't be going to the award deal tonight.  I'm glad this is the last of the science fair this school year.  Isaac told me to plan on this for the next several years. 

On goat club...
One of the cute girls in goat club is a 4-H ambassador.  So she had to set up and execute a 4-H fair.  We offered to come and be part of it.  Isaac did a table for Robotics 4-H and Ruthie and Sam did a poster and table for goat club, specializing in Pygmy goats.  I was proud of my kiddos for all their work and so excited for Karlee who did all the work.  No one came.  Her mom was so sad.  But we call it success because now my kiddos have that experience and know what they will do more awesomely next time.

On choking...
Last Wednesday night Daniel was sitting with Sam to do homework.  Sam started making all these funny noises.  Then Daniel says "Are you choking??"  Then he did the Heimlich and saved Sam's life.  It was scary.  Sam was seriously choking and Daniel saved him.  Whew!

On callings...
I have been a Wolf Den leader for almost 3 years.  I love this calling.  8 year old boys are so fun.  And crazy.  Yesterday I was sustained as a Ward Missionary.  I am so excited for this new adventure.  I have a companion and everything.  There are a lot of women in our ward and its boundaries that need sister missionaries. A new adventure indeed.  Isaac was called to be the secretary in his quorum a couple weeks ago.  One of his assignments is to send emails out the the quorum for activities for the month.  When he did the email for March, he added flair and personality to an otherwise boring list of dates.  Awesomeness!

On spring rolls...
I'm having spring rolls for lunch.  With ginger soy sauce.

On the basement...
We have one door up in the basement now.  I still need to finish painting and Daniel is back on track with the tile in the shower.  We have also cleared out the storage unit.  Yay!

On the gynecologist...
I went in this morning for my yearly exam.  As the doctor left the room he said "It was great to see you".  Hmmm

So there you have it.  Have a most wonderful day!

What's Up?

I just tried to get pictures onto my blog so you can see what we've been up to.  But I apparently don't have any more storage space.  Or something.  I don't know what it means.  I just can't pull pictures up.  So you get a wordy update for now.

I am feeling better.  I have been in really bad shape because of my thyroid.  I couldn't walk last week and was in bed most of each day.  Saturday I felt best, but by Sunday I was in pain again.  Today I'm taking it slow.  But I've gotta get stuff done, so it's a busy slow. 

We got to visit with my 99 year old grandma on Saturday night.  She flew in with my aunt so she could go to her new great great grandson's baby blessing.  So many generations!  It was so nice to see her and visit with her for a bit.

Thanksgiving was nice.  I was feeling crappy, but still ate and chatted and had a good time.  My nephew James is home finally.  We was due in October but decided to come in July.  He is a healthy 9 pounds now and getting along just fine.  He looks just like his sister Rebecca, who passed away after her short 3 month visit to earth 3 years ago. 

The day before Thanksgiving I was watching the news and they were showing the Salt Lake airport and talking to people about flying on the busiest travel day of the year.  Outta nowhere Andrea, who turns out to be the only one left in our China travel group, was saying she is going to China to adopt her daughter!!  YAY!  She's in China now. 

Our electrical stuff in the basement is done until we have walls. Tonight Daniel's brother and his boys are coming to help Daniel and our boys put up insulation.  A message has been sent to our neighborhood drywall expert and we hope to have walls up soon.  I hope to have paint on the walls by December 14.  Then the electrician comes back to put all the fixtures in so we have light.  Then during Christmas break and beyond we'll get doors and molding and carpet and other such things to make our basement bright.  Then we start moving boys down.  Woohoo.

That's it for now.  I really need some pictures put on.  I'll get Daniel to work with it tonight to see what the problem is.  Until then, I'm gonna get on with my slow moving busy day.

Experiences.

Saturday morning beamed bright...  Ok, it was dark.  Middle of the night dark really.  Isaac, Daniel and I began our day before 6 am.  We headed down to the Bountiful temple with name cards in hand to do baptisms for the dead.  Isaac was baptized for 8 male ancestors and I was baptized for 11 female ancestors.  I had been doing some family history work and we have begun our part to get these family members closer to their eternal goal.  Isaac's one comment was "I didn't know I was going to get wet", which makes me wonder, what did he think when he was baptized at age 8??  And when we  talk about baptism we talk about immersion, going all the way in.  Wouldn't you expect to get wet?  Anyhoo, we went to breakfast after where Isaac made us laugh and we all had a good time.  He even brought home some of his breakfast to share with Sam and Ruthie. 

Today I was in Walmart to grab some spray paint because Isaac is actually going to dress up for Halloween this year.  As I left the paint department an older lady called out, I think just for anyone to answer considering there were people all around and she wasn't looking at anyone in particular, that she needed help finding those little plastic containers that you put food in because she made too much stew.  So I strode over and said I could take her to them.  I pointed out the direction and she said she was glad she asked because she'd already been down that way.  So we got there and we looked at the plethora of choices.  Small, medium, large, extra large, 3 containers, 9 containers.  Then the sailor talk ansued.  She was just so sweet and most likely in her 80's and hunched over and talking about the excess of stew at her house and so when the swearing began I just went with it.  She was just so sweet.  Not shocking or in your face or crude. Just a very sweet and tender "sh*t, they're so big".  And on it went.  After choosing a set of 4 medium sized food containers with pretty red lids, she said she would like to find a really "cute" roaster pan.  Just a small one, mind you.  She also needed hydrogen peroxide. Her hair was pink.  I told her it was a beautiful white, to which she responded by pointing out that it was a wig.  She wore the wig because her hair is pink. Hydrogen peroxide it is then. But first we went to the pans and roasters and such.  She so didn't want the big black with gray specks roaster pan.  So we looked some more.  She found these pans and skillets that were red, green, purple and such and began with all the swearing about how d*mned cute they were.  Then she saw the tiny cast iron skillet which you could get and swat your man over the head with if he got outta line.  It was just the right size.  So we decided everything was too big or too expensive and headed to the hydrogen peroxide.  At one point she asked if we were lost.  I said no, it's just a big store.  I grabbed the smallest bottle when we got to the first aid stuff and told her it was .52 cents.  She took it and thanked me and said she was gonna get some kitty stuff now.  We said our goodbyes and I went to pay for my spray paint. 

So my question is, did you expect to get wet when you were baptized??

A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still A Rose.

So much for more posting!  But we've been busy.  More PTA stuff with the end of the fundraiser and then bookfair.  And then we came up on the weekend.  Friday our neice Audrey was sealed to her sweety Kevin in the Brigham city temple.  It was a beautiful day.  Luncheon afterward and then the reception that evening.  Isaac began his Robotics 4-H club that evening, as well.  Ruthie and I got to take some of the roses home from the reception.  Gorgeous.

Saturday morning we traveled to my sister's where cousin Zac was baptized.  It was so fun to hang out with Abby and Poppy and cousins.  After the brunch we changed into play clothes and headed to In and Out for lunch.  We were hungry again.  Then we went to Lagoon and played for a couple of hours.  That evening Daniel and I went to the wedding reception for a woman in our ward.  A beautiful day again.  Then we went out to dinner, because we hadn't already eaten enough that day, while the kids stayed home and watched a movie.  This is a rose from the rose bush Daniel gave me for Mother's day last year.  Today when we got home from church the rose had bloomed. 

The basement is completely framed.  The electrical and plumbing is next on the list.  The boys have already staked their claims on rooms and where their stuff will go.  This picture is a lead in (or down) to the basement pictures I will post as I keep a record of the finishing!

Hope your weekend was fun and awesome.  Fall is here.  The weather is cooling and rain is falling.  Turn up the heat and cuddle with the ones you love best!

A Lot Of This.

This is the main food table all set for a surprise birthday party for my dear friend Laurie.

This is the cake that Laurie's best friend Beth made for the surprise birthday party for Laurie.

These are the rings from the cake and other decorations that Ruthie inherited from the surprise birthday party for Laurie.

This is the hair brush I jammed into my eye while getting ready for church early this morning.

This is the eye that I jammed the hair brush into that I thought I'd have to get scraped off the back of my brain and put back into place while getting ready for church early this morning.

And not even a black eye to prove it.  At least my eyebrows look awesome.

A Little More Of This And That.

Friday was the 2nd grade talent show at school.  Ruthie wanted to play the piano and practiced her little heart out.  When her name was called she got right up and strutted over to the piano.  You can see the smile on her face. 

She played most fantastically!  No mistakes and no pauses.  She was wonderful.

The kids helped make a head stone for Vegeta.  We got one of those cement kits that you can decorate and then set in your garden.  Or over your pet goat's grave.  We put pictures of him in some of the bigger bubbles. 

Today the fire pit was officially made. Daniel and I have been talking about it for years, but Isaac was ready to burn something.  So he made his own and started to burn paper.  So Daniel went out and made the official pit.  Now, for some reason, they all want to go roast marshmallows.  I don't have any marshmallows.  I guess I need to run to the store.

Several weeks ago Daniel and I went to the adult session of Stake Conference together.  It was wonderful!  Isaac kept texting me during the meeting.  He finally sent this one.  I "yelled" at him in the next text but he said it wasn't the same.  So we came home and yelled at them all.  Hee hee.

I am grateful I get to celebrate being a mom this weekend.  I wouldn't have such a celebration without my 3 hooligans! 

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

A Little Of This And That.

So here we go.  I went through the pictures on my camera and thought I'd just update according to what was in there.  And then some.

After the great shake out last week, I told the kids I would put together an emergency kit for their backpacks.  I happened to find a great example on this great blog and used it.  The letter is almost a direct copy of hers. I did have to change up a little of what is inside the kit.  But our FHE tonight will be the reminder lesson of what to do at home, at school, at 4-H, at a friend's house, at church, at scouts, etc, when there is an emergency. 

I began the Great Popcorn Rock experiment over a week ago.  It has been moving along just nicely.  There are way more crystals by now, but this is the picture I have.  The vinegar is horribly smelly.  No one likes to go in the kitchen.  But I think I have gotten used to it.  I can't smell it anymore.  More pictures later!

The goat herd was moved out to the pasture.  Daniel got the mower out and the older goats all gathered around it.  I thought they were intrigued by the mower itself. But then I went out there and saw that there was last summer's grass all over it and they were hungry.  Vegeta is sick.  Daniel had the great privilege of taking his temperature.  Rectally.  Yep.  Vegeta was not happy about it.  But he had a temperature which suggests an infection.  So he's on Penicillin shots for 5 days.  Today is day 3.  I think when Daniel goes out there today Vegeta will scoot!  He's on to him.  At least he's getting better.

We did our last Sam the Double Digit Boy celebration last Sunday with grandma and grandpa.  I made an 'S' on the cake and was thrilled with my work.  It's been a really long time since I've done a super cake for my kids.  But I think we all agree that a cake which is chocolate is just the thing.  No special cake decorations necessary.  You may have noticed that my kids are all even again.  12, 10 and 8.  My life is in perfect order.  At least with their ages.  Not that it really affects anything, but I always feel more peace in my soul when they are even.

This is a goat.  Look at those eyes.  Did you know that there is only a small sliver of periphery that they miss with those eyes?  They can see all the way around them except for that small sliver directly behind them.  My AC is on.  It's hot.  Well, I'm hot.  I don't like heat.  I need to move to Alaska.  Or just turn my AC on in April.  In one week Daniel and I will celebrate our 13th anniversary.  Before you say it's a bad luck year, I need to remind you that we are completing 13 years.  Beginning the 14th.  Thank you very much. 

So there you have it. Just a little of this and a little of that. 

A Bit Of Useless Information.

It's beautiful outside at my house. Well, minus the goat poop smell. But the sun is shining and it's kinda warm out there. I love the feel of a warm sun. Spring. Bring it!

A couple of weeks ago I walked in on a conversation between 2 wonderful ladies. The subject was this: What band did Bret Michaels sing with back in the day? There was talk of Poison. So in my infinite wisdom of such things I say this: Yep. Bret Michaels was with Poison. Uhuh. I know this.

Actually forget I said anything about infinite wisdom. The fact that B.M. (that's how I'll address him if I need to address him again, although I know that the B and the M can make you think of something else which I'd rather not talk about. So I won't.) and Poison are floating around in my head is just, well, random. So back to the lack of infinite wisdom about B.M. There is none. It's actually one little tidbit of totally useless information that is in my head. I only know it because I was watching that music video channel on TV. A Poison video came on. And who was singing? B.M. So I just stored that tidbit away.

And it came in handy. For just a small moment I was the coolest and smartest in the room.

Like last night. Daniel came to me and said this: I know what we can watch next (on NetFlix). What? I said. He responded with: The A Team. To which I sang the theme song. Which I can't type out. It's just music. But it came out so fast and furious that even Daniel was impressed.

So you see? Useless information can float around unneeded and unused for years. And then the right time comes and BLAM! you whip it out and impress.

And that's all I really have to say about that. What useless information do you have floating around in your head?

I Really Hate When The Alarm Goes Off.

Do you get that yuck feeling in your gut when you hear the alarm? Is it just me? Even when it's on the TV or in someone else's house or just not time to have the alarm go off, I get the yuck feeling. Time to get up. Once I'm up I'm fine. It's just the jarring sound of the alarm. Or something.

Do your kids sing that I'm sexy I work out song? My daughter was singing it this week. She said the girls at school are singing it. I told her to stop. I don't like it. Then I had the TV on this morning and an M&Ms commercial had that song on it. M&Ms are harmless in my book, but now they've got that annoying song with it.

I recently lost a little bit of weight. Not enough for oohs and aahs, but I am loving the fact that I haven't worked out in over a week (until today) and didn't put any back on!! Plus I had pizza a couple of nights. And Olive Garden for my birthday. Woohoo.

I think the best exercise is Just Dance. It makes me sweat and I feel it in my muscles. Plus I can sing along. Great for breath control. You know, in case I ever spend mucho time under water or need to sing while running in place.

Speaking of sweat, you know, up in the previous paragraph, I know I've mentioned before that I sweat a lot. Like to the point of embarrassment. My Gyn told me to start taking Black Cohosh and see if that stabilizes my inner body temp control. I guess there isn't any control. So far I think it's helping. I don't sweat like I used to. July will help me know for sure, though.

In July we're going to Yellowstone. We are all excited! We hope we aren't so late in the year that we won't see animals. But if we don't have a run in with a wild moose or hungry bear I'll be more than happy.

My kids are hoping to get into the 4-H goat club in a couple of weeks. I am waiting for an informative phone call to see what the schedule is. I hope it will work into ours. If we get in, my kids will get to enter a goat or 2 in the fair this summer. Oh Joy!!

I went to Astro Camp on Monday with Isaac and some other 6th graders. I had to be a System Specialist. It was stressful but very cool. His class is in 7th place among all the school classes who go to the Astro Camp field trip. But still, it was stressful.

But so not as stressful and jarring as that darn alarm going off in the morning. Does it bother you? Or is it just me?

A Bit Of Boasting.

I was going to boast about how few flies have been in my house and how I really only had one so far. We are so good about closing doors and no flies get in my house. I'm so lucky. No flies. Wa wa wa.

But last night I killed several. Then Daniel killed a couple. Now there are like 2 more that I could see as soon as I walked in the house this morning. And there's a fly in my car. Nasty thing.

So I was trying to think of something else to boast about. Hmmmm...

My house is almost clean. But not completely. So can't boast yet.

I get to put my feet up and relax. So not true. So much yet to do so no boasting.

I have crossed so many things off my To Do list it's insane. But there is still more...

I got a great night's sleep. Umm. For 3 mornings I have woken up before 6 am and can't get back to sleep and then I have to get up anyway because I have had to be to a doctor appointment or the school for the Book Fair or other such nonsense, ahem, stuff.

Here's one...Soon my house will be clean! My To Do list will be done. I will be able to sit and relax. In the car. And then we will be in Disneyland.

Ahh. Feels good to boast.

A Bit Of This N That.

This is the original picture I wanted for today's post. It would have been titled "Make A Meal Monday". But when I pulled up my pictures I found a plethera of pictures that little people have been taking. They must be excited about the baby goat. Or something.

So here is a taste of the original post...

Chicken Tacos And all I'm gonna say about those is to go to Pioneer Woman and read her post and make them and then you know you can go ahead and die! Yum!

And here is where I'll share some of what was on my camera.

Can you even stand it?!?!? His name is Vegeta. And if you aren't familiar with Dragon Ball Z Kai, well, I just don't know how to explain it.

He likes to climb on the old lawn mower and play. Daniel is putting up the back fence so we can send the goats back and not live in the land of poo anymore. This is one of the helpers.

Oh my. My oh my. Can you just die?!

These are cheeky monkey's land of poo shoes. Lovely.

One of the fence post holes. There were quite a few.

The cross bar for the fence. The gate goes right next to it.

Blackjack and Cass running amuck.

Vegeta finds some quiet nap time under the slide. Then the kids find him and he's up and running again. On Saturday night he was missing for hours. When it started to rain, Isaac got worried and got Oreo to start calling for him. She just went right to where he was finally getting a good nap. Out in the tall grass. Under a sled.

Hi dad! Out talking to the back neighbor who lent him cool tools to dig the post holes.

The photographer herself!

Playful Vegeta. He proves that kids of any species think mom is a jungle gym. Where do they get that??

And a final close up.

Those pictures are just a small portion of the many many pictures of Vegeta, Oreo, holes in the ground, my cuties, feet, hats, Blackjack, Cassidy, dad, the back of the house and other such things.

If you'd like to come see him, let me know.

Rain is in the forecast this week, but he should stay small and cute for a few more!

A Little Of This And That.

Last Saturday Daniel put up little fences around the trees in the yard. The goats have been enjoying them. During the week, the kids looked out the window and saw this. Cas, in the fence, eating the tree. Daniel fixed that fence right up today.

At Pack Meeting this week, Isaac earned his Webelos badge. He also earned 1 Compass Point along with it. He is working to get his Arrow Of Light before he turns 11.

I was so proud of my Wolves, too. I had 14 of my 16 boys come. See Sam in the background? We have uniform inspections now and each boy passed inspection. We are also working on the 2 R words for the flag ceremony. Reverence and Respect. They had both!

Did you know that in one week Christmas will be over?? Hello! Speaking of Christmas, this is the 4th quilt top that contains much of the extra squares I used in the kids' quilt tops. Here's the problem. I forgot about the quilts. I just sent Daniel out to Walllllmart at 6 pm on a Saturday night, the Saturday night before Christmas, to get batting. If I don't get on these quilts soon, they'll be New Year's quilts. Or perhaps birthday gifts for 2011.

So. Are you ready for Christmas?

Brrrrrrr.

So here's the thing. Now that it's December, I'm hoping for actual December weather. No more of this January gray depressing 30 below stuff. C'mon. It's cold. The first problem is my coat. I have a very nice and stylish Fall/Spring coat. Perfect for running through the rain. Which I've done. But not so much for running into the school in 30 below temps. Which I've done. I have added 2-3 long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt and a scarf to help. But the unseemly temps don't comply. So I was looking at really warm and beautiful coats at Kohl's. I need to save my money. Right now I have a $10 Kohl's cash thingy and a 15% off Kohl's thingy. But I don't got the cash. So I guess I freeze. Wait! You say I have a red coat in the basement that should do it? Please. Did I tell you I've put on a couple pounds? And it's old enough to need plastic surgery.

The second problem is my blood. It's really warm. In the Summer I seriously sweat so much my elbows stink. So Winter comes as a special treat. I can wear layers, you see. I can't really remove stuff when I'm HOT. It would be unseemly. (That's twice now I've used that word) So now that my blood is thinning due to the extremely cold temps, I have a real problem. Let me lay it out for you. I'm in my house. Not doing anything. Just sitting maybe. I get cold. Brrr. So I turn on the fireplace which has been turned up ever so much during this cold spell. Then I turn on the heater. Brrr. Oh it really starts to feel good. Then I remember I need to:fold laundry, bake bread, do dishes, make dinner, vacuum, sweep, wash windows, dust, wash walls, whatever. Actually just getting up and walking to the bathroom will then make me sweat. Seriously. I start to sweat. So I turn off the heat producing machines and open a door. I cool a bit. But it really is seriously cold outside. So it comes down to this: when I start having hot flashes, I will have to sit on my couch and just read a book and have someone bring me stuff so I don't have to move. I might actually have to run the AC in the Winter.

The third problem comes in the form of 3 goats. Baaa baaaa baaaa baaaaaaaa baaaaa translates to I waaant to cooome iiiin I neeeeeed some more fooooood Pleeeease heeeeelllllp meeeee. I can talk goat really well in person. Just ask. I'll oblige. I don't want them in the house and Daniel says they'll be fine. But 30 below is just freakin' cold! I have to talk myself into the fact that they are farm animals, outside animals, furry animals, fat animals. They'll be fine. I'll just freak out when the kids are born. No problem.

So there you have it. The quote that comes to mind as I review what I just typed is “Your pills”. You know, from Wayne's World. Your pills. Medication. Might be nice. Or necessary.

The Serger.

Daniel's parents make a quilt for the grand kids when they turn 12. Well, the point is having it done before they turn 12. The good thing is all the squares have been cut for about 3,027 quilts. Just kidding. I think Jesse, his dad, and I counted under 25. This is a large family with lots of grand kids. Some sisters have taken squares home and sewed them together. Then Jesse will quilt the bottom on. Or something. So what do I do?? I say, Hey, I can sew a straight line. I'll take a couple of those boxes of squares and sew them together.

Hahahahaha.

That's all those who know how to sew, excuse me, those who know how to use a serger, laughing!

When I see that the seams are serged, not simply sewn, I panic. But Jesse says, Just take them home and play with them. See what you can do.

Easier said than done.

So I called my sister Katie and asked if she had my mom's serger. Yes. So I got it from her.

The thread is somewhat threaded, but in order to use it, it all has to be threaded.

So I tried. For like 4 hours. To no avail.

So I asked my hunk o burnin' love to do it for me.

And he does.

He's so awesome.

So today, this is what my table looks like...

I have serged together 3 rows of squares. The first 3 that are sewn together were done by someone else. I'm scared to serge the rows together. Something about a fear of failing. Going in a small straight line is pretty easy. I don't ever see myself making clothes and such with it. There are a total of 17 rows for this quilt. And then I've got another bag of squares for another quilt.

I seriously may just give the rows to a sister who really knows what she's doing. Straight line or not, it scares me.
At least I know the serger will work for evermore.

This N That.

He hopped out of the shower to see what his head looked like with shampoo on it. Then he carved his initials. Strange child.

And he did invite me in to see...so I took the picture.

He was grateful it was just a head shot!

My allergies ate creating havoc! Seriously.

My nose itches and I look like I'm always pickin it. I'm not. Just itchin!

The recent fires in a location where we would be living but chose to stay here have caused us to revisit our 72 hour kits. Or, um, lack thereof.

There is 1 thing I blame it on...

Procrastination.

And disinterest.

I know that's 2, but they just go together to make one.

Trust me.

We just recently had a 5th Sunday meeting to discuss preparedness and stuff.

The lady in our ward who is the specialist for that has a nice 72 hour kit.

Her trailor.

It's got everything in it to keep their family going for at least 72 hours.

I am going to have Daniel redo the laundry room so we can store our stuff in there.

And I am in the process of putting it all together.

And, for my own delight and pleasure...

The Tomato Sandwich!

Yum.

I'm gonna go make one now.